A U.S. government agency has confirmed that cyber hackers exploited weaknesses in a widely used encrypted communications device, VPN, to break into the networks of a number of key U.S. agencies, including computer systems in U.S. government departments, critical infrastructure sectors and some private sector.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Directorate said in a statement Tuesday (April 20, 2021) that since March 31 of this year, the cybersecurity directorate has assisted a number of departments and agencies that use some of Ivanti’s encrypted communications devices in dealing with the aftermath of the hack.
The statement did not specify which departments and agencies were attacked, nor did it reveal the identity of the cyber hackers.
Earlier in the day, U.S. cybersecurity firm FireEye said two hacker groups exploited a previously undiscovered weakness in an Ivanti-made encrypted communications device to break into the computer systems of some U.S. defense contractors using the device from October last year until it was discovered in March this year, saying at least one of the hacker groups was the Chinese government’s cyber espionage organization APT5.
Ivanti has taken steps to patch the security holes in the encrypted communications device, and the U.S. Cybersecurity Agency is assisting the agencies involved in mending their ways to deal with the aftermath of the attack.
In response to media inquiries, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States called the accusations by FireEye “irresponsible and ill-intentioned” and said China “firmly opposes and stops all kinds of cyber attacks.
Last month, U.S. Internet giant Microsoft Corp. issued a notice saying a Chinese government-backed hacking group called Halfnium had used a previously undiscovered vulnerability to carry out multiple attacks on Microsoft’s email servers, possibly taking remote control of the servers and then stealing data from the company’s computer systems. Beijing has since rejected that accusation as well.
In response to that massive attack by Chinese hackers, the Biden administration said it would take a whole-of-government response, establishing a unified and coordinated response that would include the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to assess and address the damage done.
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